The Published Pearl with Dr. Carolyn Wiley
Writing your book was never the hard part. Six months of staring at a blank page, seventeen outline rearrangements, chapter one deleted and rewritten three times — none of that is the hard part. The hard part is what happens after: convincing a total stranger who owes you nothing to stop, buy, read, and tell someone else. That's the conversation this episode is built around. JD Barker spent 20+ years as a chief compliance officer at an investment banking firm before he became a New York Times and International Bestselling Author. He watched companies go from idea to IPO and realized publishing runs on the exact same formula — whether you're selling bananas, boats, or books, you're selling a widget. That finance background is why he doesn't talk about his career like an artist. He talks about it like an entrepreneur who happens to write. In this episode we get into: - Why "the perfect book" is table stakes, not the finish line — and why word of mouth is still the only marketing that reliably works - The hybrid deal JD structured with Simon & Schuster — retaining his own imprint and control while getting big-box store distribution most indie authors can't touch - Why doing what everyone else does in your marketing guarantees you never rise above them - The haunted house book giveaway that generated national press coverage for free, because it could only work once and he got there first - How he balances co-writing with names like James Patterson using the "two people cooking breakfast" rule — divide and conquer before you ever start writing - His autism diagnosis at 22, and why he calls it his creative superpower — including how it shaped his ability to mimic voice on the page (which is exactly why Bram Stoker's family trusted him with the Dracula prequel) - How he plots multiple book worlds at once using different physical formats — typewriter, notepad, Scrivener — to keep his voice distinct in each one - Why he deliberately writes across genres instead of getting boxed into one, and how he uses each new book to pull in a new reader demographic - His closing advice: ten years ago he had zero people on his email list and no publishing deal. The overnight success everyone sees is just the ten years nobody was watching. Connect with JD Barker: JDBarker.com, or @JDBarker on social. His new book, The First Scarlet Door — a prequel to the 4MK series — releases this September. If you're a faith-driven entrepreneur who knows a book is inside you but you're not sure how to make it work for your business, that's exactly what we do inside Christian Writers Arise and Rose & Pearl Publishing. https://roseandpearl.net/booking ✨ Subscribe for more Spirit-led strategies on writing, publishing, and building your legacy. Join Christian Writers Arise: 90-Day Book Accelerator and finally write the book God has placed on your heart. Learn more here: https://roseandpearl.net [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbTY5clhQTldWWkVQcTZjS1pWQm5ST2lrR3l2UXxBQ3Jtc0trTmU0Y3RvMm8wVjBmSTFXdFN4Q3FydWVZb2x4d1NJSm5TcG5GS1A0SWpYWFFQT0YtN0Z5S2V5SkVob21GUTV3eEVMTjV5NC1oTEREVFNXdUdBQ3NtaDZkZm1rZFFwLW1UbzhLSUNxMFMxWVNpVmVQSQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Froseandpearl.net%2F&v=9UqjNHHIIIE] 💡 Grab Your Free Guide: 5 Steps to Start Writing Your Book → https://roseandpearl.net/getstarted [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa1hlSkF3SWNkYmNMa1U0bU9Va2F3SWlqSllkd3xBQ3Jtc0tuWlM5TW9Nd0xKUFZBUUxVNnVzLVh6SzRiTDZXWjNkbHpkQWlHYjdzdnNSTU1GSlc5T2xvLTd6RVlVZHVpamQ4MU5qTC1ycFE1ZEg1U3ZlSGJhMUFweVZjbU9LRS1RZUk2VmV3eF82Tjhod1BzVTZSVQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Froseandpearl.net%2Fgetstarted&v=9UqjNHHIIIE] 📲 Let’s Connect! Instagram: @carolynwileywrites, @roseandpearlpublishing Facebook: @carolynwileywrites, @roseandpearlpublishing TikTok: @carolynwileywrites 💬 Let’s Talk Writing! Are you ready for a book coach, or are you still figuring things out? Drop a comment below! ⬇️ 🚀 Don’t Forget to: ✅ Subscribe for more Christian writing tips ✅ Like this video if it helped you! ✅ Share it with a fellow writer who needs encouragement. ✅ Ask your questions in the comments—I’d love to help! 🖊️ Tools I Recommend for Writers: (Affiliate Links) Scrivener (My go-to writing software): https://partners.kit.com/roseandpearl [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbTluN2RObFIxdnRfZUtDM3RZZEl5dHQ4Y1dqQXxBQ3Jtc0trV0Z5aGYyaWo2aHIwcUpNY1cxZUdIdVlKZ2l4NDZWSkRHSUVkdWRfSzF5aERwdjNxVUdCUEpRWGtLTnhPY01jNENPUk95TFFZZzItRG9RdFVObTZWRVM0M3VzcEdaTnhubWYtWDN6eGJQdGdPZlg0dw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fpartners.kit.com%2Froseandpearl&v=9UqjNHHIIIE] Kit.com (Email lists for authors): https://www.literatureandlatte.com/sc... [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbnJyeFgyenNGc08ydjBrRXZKYUlWc2tZVnNYZ3xBQ3Jtc0ttbkZKcWhkRG1MS0kySzJYQzUybEE4bXF0SVk4UnlLUERXWjRvbGNqS0VCd2FEOEE5WFlRVHlMYngwWjFXSWpwY2ktdURtY0lfTWY2ZDl6RDhGSDJLbzVELW1HQV9CbGpMVkQ0RW1TODVtVzRBRHNHRQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.literatureandlatte.com%2Fscrivener-affiliate.html%3Ffpr%3Droseandpearl&v=9UqjNHHIIIE] 🎤 Curious About My Setup? (Affiliate Links) Mic I Use: Logitech for Creators Blue Yeti USB Microphone https://amzn.to/3F5qLQM [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa2NWTkZSLVlybTlNeHFZa3pubnFCMWZjSFh6Z3xBQ3Jtc0ttZExNcGhyMHI2X25GMEQyNFBzMTdrYTBfMU1FT0dKcXdvV2ZncVhUR3B5amU2Tl9LUFV4Y29oejdIY2tSMzF2V1JFOF9iQnNjUE1QMURLTzlwaVo0cXZCTVhlaFVvRTlGemZiS1ZkTTJYUG5kc2lodw&q=https%3A%2F%2Famzn.to%2F3F5qLQM&v=9UqjNHHIIIE] Furry Mic Cover for Noise Reduction: https://amzn.to/43vMBXR [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa1c5UXl0VlgxVVg4X0EyZWVTczVlOElOMWRCd3xBQ3Jtc0ttSl8xZjgzYnh1NHFmcEgzMUdiYzVFcVNoSDFFMWhuMDlHUElrQVdkbHJDdGRXYXdZblFDakY4TnBvWm1uWUZCazhRNjlxcjc4M19vLVBpcmhrajBJSDJyR3lqT1EzMldfRXJyelJYYWVianV0cWVGMA&q=https%3A%2F%2Famzn.to%2F43vMBXR&v=9UqjNHHIIIE] 🎉 Your Story Matters. Let’s make 2026 the year you finally write your book! #WritingTips [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/writingtips] #ChristianAuthor [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/christianauthor] #BookWriting [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/bookwriting] #FaithBasedBusiness [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/faithbasedbusiness] #ContentWriting [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/contentwriting] #AuthorTips [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/authortips] #WritingSkills [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/writingskills] #RoseAndPearlPublishing [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/roseandpearlpublishing]
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